The two pressurized water reactors at Entergy's Indian Point Energy Center remain poorly equipped to minimize the risks of explosive hydrogen that would be produced in a severe nuclear accident involving one or both of these units. In light of this nuclear safety deficiency, NRDC opposes continued operation of the reactors beyond their current license terms.

On June 8, 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals decided in favor of NRDC and other petitioners who challenged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) over their "Waste Confidence Decision" and Temporary Storage Rule. The Court ruled that the NRC violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to address the impacts of the reality that the United States does not have a permanent storage facility for toxic radioactive nuclear waste.

There are 104 nuclear reactors in the United States. If one of them lost both primary and backup power for even a matter of hours, it could lead to a meltdown and an airborne radioactive plume. See what could have happened if a reactor in your area had a severe nuclear accident on March 11, 2011.

This memorandum from Christopher Paine, Nuclear Program Director at NRDC briefly summarizes: the course of the Fukushima accident and subsequent releases of radiation; key questions for Japan posed by the accident; the U.S. response to date; the implications of the accident for a fresh safety assessment US reactors; and NRDC’s general approach to nuclear power generation. Get document in pdf.

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